|
| |
Former Marine Corps Aviator
|
|
I served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1968 to 1975. I went
to Quantico and the 47th OCS in November '67 then to Pensacola for flight
training and rotated through VT-1, VT-3, VT-5, VT-6, and
HT-8.
I went to HML-267 at Camp Pendleton in '69
and then to Vietnam with HML-167 from August '69 until July
'70. I flew 620 missions in Huey Gunships. I returned to be the Assistant
Officer in Charge of the Marine Corp Auxiliary Landing Field at Camp Pendleton.
Later I went back to HML-267 for a while
and the transitioned to jets at VT-22 in
Kingsville, and then on the RAG at Cherry Point. From there I went on to VMA-331 at Beaufort, S.C.
until I separated in December '75.
I have always missed the good friends I made in the Marine Corps. I hope
I get a chance to see all that I can again. Visit if you want. ~ David Geaslin david@geaslin.com
|
|
|
|
UH-1E Gunships |
|
Photo Courtesy of Randy Crew
Author of
A
Killing Shadow
A novel of Marine gunships in Vietnam
|
4 Texans
1/Lt Jan Hruska 1/Lt Ira Hieberg
1/Lt Dave Geaslin
1/Lt Jim Hall |
Hutton, Scotty, Adams, Ira Hieberg, Greg
Duesing, Paul Hugenberg, ?, Al Hinton |
Jan Hruska & Milt Mathews just had a door
blown off at LZ Baldy by a H-46 lifting off. |
Christmas bird Jan Hruska flew Bob Hope around in. |
1/Lt David Geaslin (FNG) at
Cua Viet near the DMZ. |
1/Lt David Geaslin
|
Marble Mountain |
Que Son
Mountains! |
1/Lts Heiberg, Geaslin & Duesing
|
 |
I took this bird up an a test hop for a slight beat at 60 kts. After 10
minutes of flight the beat smoothed out. I thought to myself, "Damn
your a good test pilot. All you got to do is think about the problem and
the bird fixes itself!"
Got back on the ground and found that the trans &
and engine cowling had blown off in flight and gone up through the rotor
system leaving a hole big enough to drop a canteen through. |
Need some names here! |
Over the Hoi An River near the mouth.
RoK Marine country. |
From the HML-167 Web page
|
|
| TH-57 |
|
 |
|
| H-34 |
|
 |
The
Death Of 1/Lt. Dick Dodd
by
David Geaslin
It was in Elephant Valley, 1970, I saw him
die,
a brave young man who loved to fly.
He went out of this world in a moment so fast,
but his fight to live went on to the last.
His Gunship fell past me in a mass of flame
but his courage was strong, for when the end came
despite a crippled bird without control
and the rising jungle coming up like a shoal,
as his flaming Huey plunged close to the ground,
I saw the nose pitch up and rotor slow down.
I was watching his last chance hitch,
with flames in the cockpit, he still "pulled pitch".*
To continue to fight against such pain and strife
sets an example to us for the rest of our life.
No matter how bitter the stuff in Life's cup,
take a big gulp and never give up.
* The complicated emergency procedure
by which a
helicopter can be landed without engine power.
~ An autorotation.
|
|
.htm_cmp_gg-new-2012010_hbtn.gif){kind=small}
-2.jpg)
